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Financial Aid

Financial Aid Alert

Due to technical difficulties, some students experienced inaccurate financial account balances. The most common error was accounts missing the BOG waiver causing higher out of pocket expenses. We have identified the issue and are working diligently to resolve the problem. Students who are BOG ineligible and have unidentified issues are at risk of being dropped. Please check your InsideBC message boards for any updates.

Bakersfield College strives to deliver the best quality service to our students. Please be patient with us while we improve our software to increase the accuracy of your account balance. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to serving you soon.

Financial Aid News

Financial Aid Awareness Month

Start your engines! Our kickoff event for Financial Aid Awareness Month is on February 5th at 9:30 a.m. in the Renegade Crossroads. There will be food, music and a resource fair, and the pit crew from our Financial Aid Office will be available to answer your questions. You can view the flyer for the event at this link.

Spring 2018 Book Advance Program

Book Advances are available to qualifying students during the first 3 weeks of the semester. Application period begins January 8th and the deadline to submit an application is February 2nd. Book Advances can only be used once between January 8th and February 9th at the Bakersfield College Bookstore. Click the link to access the eligibility requirements and application. Return the completed application to the Office of Financial Aid.

A Special Message Regarding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the Board of Governors Enrollment Fee Waiver (BOGW)

Students have informed the Financial Aid Office about two rumors circulating about the recent tax bill passed by Congress. Please note the following:

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) does not end BOG Waivers or any tuition waivers.

The TCJA also does not cause BOG Waivers to become taxable income. They will remain tax-exempt. An earlier version of the House bill of the TCJA contained a provision to make tuition waivers for graduate students taxable income, but this provision was removed from the final version of the bill.

2017-18 Forms

The Office of Financial Aid is excited to move into the 2017-2018 school year. The office would like to encourage all students to refer to their InsideBC for any required documentation. In order to receive your financial aid funds faster, please complete the fillable PDF forms online, print, and submit to the financial aid office. All documents must be physically signed and dated for processing. Completed documents can be submitted in office, via email, or via fax to:

Payments/Disbursements

Pell Grant Disbursements

Pell grant payments are disbursed in 3 payments per semester. Unsure about how your payment is calculated? Read important information about Pell Grant Calculations.

2017-18 Board of Governors Enrollment Fee Waiver (BOGW)

The Board of Governor’s Fee Waiver (BOGW) is a state funded program available for eligible California residents and eligible AB540 students attending California community colleges. The BOGW waives the $46 per unit enrollment fees for an eligible student. To apply for a BOGW, students must either complete a FAFSA application or California Dream Act application or complete a paper application and bring it to the Office of Financial Aid for review. Students who paid for classes prior to receiving a BOGW will receive a refund if found eligible for BOGW. The BOGFW program is not a cash award. BOGW eligible students will be responsible for

FAFSA/Dream Act Application

The first step in the financial aid process is to apply! Start by submitting your financial aid FAFSA / Dream Act application online.

Loan Default Prevention

Don't default on your federal student loan! There are options that may help you avoid default. Bakersfield College has teamed up with E.C.M.C. Solutions, Student loan repayment and financial literacy services, to provide student loan borrowers a resource to help you manage your educational loans. This service is FREE of charge and you can contact them regarding loan repayment advice, repayment plan options, forbearances and deferments, and loan forgiveness. Contact E.C.M.C. Solutions by phone at 1-877-331-3262 or visit the E.C.M.C. Solutions website to connect through email or web chat with one of their counselors.

Photo I.D. Required

The Office of Financial Aid is available to answer general questions. In order to protect your identity and information, any inquiries regarding your financial aid will require a photo ID.

F.S.A I.D. (Federal Student Aid ID)

F.S.A. I.D. has replaced the Federal Student Aid PIN number. This will be your new way to log in to your account. Please see the attached link for STEPS on how to update your new F.S.A. I.D. Steps for F.S.A. I.D.

Financial Aid Status

Want to know your status? See our FAQs on how to check your insideBC account for your 2017-18 Financial Aid Status. Verify if there is any additional paperwork that you will need to submit for the coming year. If it does not give you an option to check your 2017-18 status, please verify that your 2017-18 FAFSA was processed through www.fafsa.ed.gov. Remember: It is your responsibility to be sure you have submitted all required documentation in a timely manner!

Tax Return Transcript

If you are required to submit an IRS transcript of your 2015 tax returns, you can order Tax RETURN Transcripts online or call 1-800-908-9946. A free copy will be mailed to you. It may take 5-10 days to receive them in the mail.

Consortium Agreements

Consortium Agreements allow students enrolled at more than one school in a given semester to receive the maximum amount of federal aid for which they are eligible considering enrollment at both schools. A student may receive federal financial aid from only one school during any given semester. If a student is enrolled at more than one school, a Consortium Agreement between BC (the home institution) and Taft College (the host institution) will allow a student to count classes from both schools during one semester and receive the maximum amount of financial aid for which the student is eligible. If either school chooses not to enter into a Consortium Agreement, a student’s financial aid will be based solely upon his/her enrollment at only one of the schools. The BC Financial Aid Office and any other institution reserve the right to deny consortium agreement requests.

Schools BC does Consortium Agreements with:

Before requesting a Consortium Agreement, with BC acting as the home institution, a student must meet the following criteria:

Admitted as degree-seeking and actively pursuing a degree from BC and only receiving financial aid with BC.

BC is home school

Enrolled at BC; and

Concurrently enrolled or planning to enroll at Taft College. The units you are taking with Taft College must be transferable to BC and be necessary for the degree you are pursuing at BC.

Please note that while a Consortium Agreement allows a student to receive full eligibility for Title IV Aid (Pell Grants, CAL grant and any other additional free aid) The Consortium Agreement does not honor those applying for a student loan. You will still need to be enrolled in 6 degree applicable units with BC to be eligible.

After any Title IV aid has been disbursed, no increases in financial aid can be made due to enrollment level changes. If units are added after aid has been disbursed, no adjustments can be made to the student's financial aid package.

Students are advised to request a Consortium Agreement at least four (4) weeks prior to the beginning of the semester so proper eligibility can be determined.

Disbursement of aid cannot take place until your enrollment can be certified at both institutions.

A Consortium Agreement must be completed for each semester a student wishes to take classes simultaneously and receive financial aid. Students must contact the BC Financial Aid Office prior to each semester.

It may be difficult to obtain an in-school deferment for prior loan payments when a student is enrolled at two institutions. Contact your lender or servicer for details on obtaining an in-school deferment while simultaneously enrolled. .

All other federal regulations and BC policies and procedures are applicable while a Consortium Agreement is in place. For questions regarding the Consortium Agreement procedures, please call the Office of Financial Aid at (661) 395-4428.

Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and list BC (code: 001118) as a school to receive the information and respond to all requests for additional information. The student's Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) will be processed and an award letter will be sent to the student with estimated financial aid eligibility amounts based on total enrollment/tuition for that semester. The student's cost of attendance will reflect actual tuition/fees assessed by the host and home institutions. The remaining cost of books, supplies, room and board, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses will be based upon BC’s standard cost of attendance. Adjustments will be made at the time of disbursement if enrollment changes or original estimates of expenses differ from actual expenses.

Determine enrollment level and make any desired changes before any federal financial aid is disbursed. Aid eligibility cannot be changed, for any reason, after funds are disbursed.

Submit a Consortium Agreement form to the BC Office of Financial Aid. A formal institutional Consortium Agreement will then be submitted by the Financial Aid Office to the other school for enrollment certification. Note: Some institutions cannot certify enrollment until after 30 days of class; therefore, it is the student's responsibility to make whatever arrangements are necessary for fee payment and books at each school. Financial aid cannot be disbursed until the Consortium Agreement has been certified and returned to the BC Financial Aid Office.

The Business Services office will apply all available funds to any outstanding college charges. Excess financial aid will automatically be forwarded to the student via check. It is the student's responsibility to make fee payment arrangements at both the home and host institutions.

. Request an official academic transcript be sent to the BC Admissions and Records Office at the end of the Consortium Agreement semester for determination of satisfactory academic progress. This must be completed before the student can receive financial aid for the next period of enrollment.

Financial Aid and FERPA

Student records are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, state law and Kern Community College District Board Policy from access by casual or unauthorized persons. Access to records is provided to the student, appropriate college staff members, persons having written consent of the student, or by court order or subpoena.

If a student wishes to allow a written consent for authorized party, they must go through the following steps:

Student must to come in the Financial Aid office and fill out the year specific FERPA form. (A FERPA allows authorized person to call or come in on the behalf of that student if that student isn’t present)

Student must supply their student ID to be copied by a Financial Aid staff member to be placed with their FERPA form.

Their FERPA is then added to the students file. The FERPA will posted the student’s tracking requirements with the authorized person(s) name.

The FERPA is only good for the Award Year it was filed for. This will need to be completed every new Award Year.